BIO
ABOUT KEITH PERKS
Keith Perks is an award winning photographer based out of Northeastern Pennsylvania that specializes in concert and fine art photography.
His love for music shows in everything he does. He is most passionate about concert photography and has photographed bands such as The Avett Brothers, Deftones, James Bradley, Slayer, Twenty One Pilots, David Byrne, and hundreds of others. He’s a regular at local shows, concerts, and festivals in the Tri-state area and he’s photographed XPoNential Fest, Warped Tour, Peach Music Fest, and Camp Bisco several times.
His work has appeared on many arts and entertainment websites such as NEPA Scene, Anti-Hero Magazine, and Amped Sound. He’s had photos appear in AP Magazine and Inked Magazine.
He also covers The Coney Island Mermaid Parade, The Village Halloween Parade, Electric City Music Conference, Noir Nights, and several other music, food, and fundraiser events.
He loves diners, dive bars, Southern culture, anything Irish, and vintage America. He knows Cytoxan kicks in after about eight hours and he once helped save a green pig.
In a lot of my work there is a sense of darkness and I think those pieces help make my brighter and maybe what some may consider as my happier pieces, to stand out that much more. Someone once told me, there’s a “sense of hurt” in my work and that was a great moment of accomplishment having made someone feel something. The deepened shadows, the grain, the uncomfortable nature of a pose all add to the meaning. I’m not looking to portray doom and gloom, but maybe a depth allowing the viewer the chance to determine their own story from it. Theirs may not be what was intended, but I love hearing what it is they think it means, because the art then goes beyond the piece. It lies with in the perception as well.
Broken down, seedy, sinful, and underbelly are things I finds intriguing. At times it is in the darkest corners that the light shines brightest. I’ve found a love and admiration over the years for exploring things that many may find unconventional. There’s a story in those places many tend to overlook or ignore.
I’ve always had a deep appreciation for the counterculture. There’s beauty in things the general public may not fully comprehend. Art is everywhere and in everything…even in what we don’t understand, agree with, or in things some find to be ugly. I try to capture that as I travel and explore. In creating my own work, I try at times to have something within it push the viewer. Sadness, peace, anger, happiness, and even confusion…those are all rewarding words hear.
In dark streets of a big city, the side roads of the middle of nowhere, even in the pit between bands and their fans, the lens is an eye to a world where some people forget to look and I think they are missing out. These things are what excites me most.
– Keith Perks
If the saying, “A picture is worth a thousand words,” is true, then I hope the words-to-dollars exchange rate is good because that would put local photographer/graphic designer Keith Perks somewhere north of a billionaire. For years, he has been capturing NEPA’s beauty, artistry, and originality in his photography, as well as helping to brand local artists and businesses with his clean and professional vision.”
Whether his humble nature allows him to admit it or not, he delivers his message passionately and with intensity and I’ve left him many times feeling more driven and focused regarding my own endeavors.”
– Rich Perry (Writer and Speaker)
One of the best compliments photographer Keith Perks ever received was, “When I see your work, there’s a sense of hurt in it.”
The photographer and graphic designer finds a badge of honor in that statement – it shows he’s been down, but has gotten back up. He knows the meaning of bittersweet. He’s fought and triumphed, and he’s done it with the help of friends and family.
“If you’re going somewhere in life, and you want to make it to the top, going by yourself is a lonely thing. You bring good people along with you, it’s going to be a lot more fun getting there,” Perks said.
– Citizens Voice: Kristen Gaydos
AWARDS
Music Photographer of the Year
Electric City Music Conference
September 2016
Best Local Visual Artist
Electric City
January 2015
Bethlehem Steel – First Place – Photography
Kronick, Kalada, and Berdy Purchase Award
Fine Arts Fiesta
Wilkes-Barre, PA 2015
Ben – First Place – Photography
Wyoming Valley Art League
Spring Juried Exhibition
Wilkes-Barre, PA 2015
Sax in the City – Second Place – Photography
Wyoming Valley Art League
Fall Juried Exhibition
Wilkes-Barre, PA 2014
Ben – Honorable Mention – Photography
Fine Arts Fiesta
Wilkes-Barre, PA 2013
Ferris Wheel – First Place – Photography
Bloomsburg Fair
Bloomsburg, PA 2011